The Wrong Side
Disclaimer. This entire story is based on Tamora Pierce's world and her characters.
Chapter One.
It was horrible: bright colours, twirling dresses, chatter, laughter, giggling. Not to mention the complete lack of Dom. Keladry of Mindelan sighed. He was the reason she had come. This morning, when Jump had woken them up, they had agreed to come and meet here. 'If only our days weren't so busy,' she thought wistfully, and looked across the lines of dancing nobles again. Perhaps someone else would be around? She spotted Seaver, off on the other side of the banquet tables, and felt glad that she wouldn't have to stand-alone anymore. She "excuse me'd" and "pardon me'd" her way through.
"Seaver!" she called.
He looked up as she stopped before him. "Kel," he smiled.
"You look happy. Who's the parchment from?"
Seaver grinned and held up the paper in his hand. "It's just from a Lady I met. With instructions to read it in private, too."
Kel smiled slyly, feeling cheerful once more, she said, "It's probably a death threat. From her family."
Seaver feigned innocence. "It was she who kissed me!"
Kel laughed. "Be gone!"
As Seaver left, a warm breath tickled hair strands into her ear and a familiar voice murmured. "You remind me so much of Lord Raoul when you speak like that."
Kel, with her right eyebrow raised, turned. "I do not see that as a bad thing." She told Dom. "You could learn from him."
He kissed her cheek. "I've been looking for you."
"And I've been looking for you."
They smiled at each other. They were touching from shoulder to shoulder down to their hands. Kel's body was warming at an alarming rate. She tingled all over. She couldn't handle it. "So, Dom, how are you?" she said, breaking the spell.
He chuckled. "Oh please, Kel." He took a step back. "Why don't we leave? I'm sure we've both had enough of this party."
Kel agreed.
On their way out, they ran into members of Dom's squad. Boisterous conversation sparked up immediately. At first Kel was somewhat disappointed, and noted Dom's several attempts for them to get free, but before long she was joking and laughing with the men, adding in her stories to theirs' and discussing the latest site under her command: New Hope.
As time passed the group moved to a more comfortable room with chairs and a table, and the talk continued. When Kel felt exchanges were beginning to lag, she caught Dom's eye and smiled at the door. His mouth twitched in amusement. He nodded and finished things up with his friend.
Soon they were out the door and back into the main hall.
"It must be late." Kel observed. "There's no more crowd to push past."
"There's two lovebirds that obviously wouldn't notice if the walls around them tumbled down," Dom said, looking at Yukimi and Neal, who were leaning against each other and shuffling around the dance floor.
Kel's heart swelled. "Now there's a perfect marriage."
Dom squeezed her hand.
Kel felt giddy, then she suddenly remembered Seaver, and told Dom about the lady that he might soon be involved with. Dom beamed. Kel's stomach was twisting at his smile, and wondered if he had any idea of what he did to her, and if she had this effect on him.
They passed a noble lady through the hall's main double doors.
"Keladry of Mindelan?" the noble's awed voice breathed.
Kel and Dom stopped and faced the noble, who curtsied. They returned the formality.
"Keladry of Mindelan," the noble repeated in disbelief. "It is an honour to meet you, my lady. And Domitan, as well - please don't think I don't know who you are! Oh! There I go, forgetting myself as usual. I am Niss of Riveredge."
Kel hadn't heard of Riveredge, and chose to hide her ignorance and not embarrass the young lady who so clearly marvelled her. She opened her mouth to change the subject-
"I don't believe I've ever heard of Riveredge," Dom said.
Kel could have kicked him.
Niss blushed and ducked her head. "We are small and new," she explained quietly. "I'm the first daughter of the house to be presented at court."
Kel sent Dom a meaningful look. Dom shrugged.
Niss lifted her head. "I see you two are leaving, and I don't wish to keep you."
"No-" Kel began.
Niss grinned and shook her head. "Please, do not worry about me, my lady. I see some friends. They have been waiting for me, anyway." She curtsied again and rushed away.
Kel looked at Dom. "Perhaps you could be more subtle next time."
Dom grinned. "It was out of my mouth before I realised what I was saying."
Kel didn't reply; just sighed and leaned her head against Dom.
Dom planted a kiss on the peak of her head. "My room?" He felt her nod and wrapped his closest arm around her.
Kel woke up at dawn. She untangled herself from Dom's sheets and sat on the side of the bed, thinking of the previous night. She looked at Dom. Her heart squeezed and she leaned back to touch his bare shoulder. He grunted and rolled over. Her lips stretched into the unstoppable smile.
"I love you," she whispered, and started to find her clothes. When she was dressed she reached for a sword in the rack across the wall and began some exercises. Halfway through a pattern dance she caught Dom staring at her.
"It's going to be a wonderful day," he said. "I can feel it."
"Me too," Kel replied, and wiped her brow.
Suddenly there was an urgent pounding on the door. Dom tumbled out of bed and wrestled on some pants.
"Dom!" a man cried from outside. "Open the-"
Kel threw open the door.
"Dom- Kel! What?" It was a man from Dom's squad, frowning. He looked past Kel to his commander. He understood immediately.
"I hope this is important," Dom said, buttoning his shirt.
"It is...it's Seaver."
"What's happened?" Kel frowned. "What has he done?"
The man looked at Kel wide-eyed. "Someone was also sent to fetch you from your room, my lady. And he hasn't done anything. I think...I think you'd better just come."
Kel and Dom followed him at a hasty pace. A blast of cold air surprised them when they exited Dom's building. Rows of leafless trees surrounded them. A grey sky watched from above. Dying weeds grabbed for them in the wind.
Kel shut out the bleak view with her high collar.
The messenger led them into another housing quarter, then straight on to Seaver's room. There was a minor commotion outside the door: people with white, white faces and others with hands over their mouths were milling around. Ladies were sobbing.
Dread wrapped itself around Kel's mind. She fought off panic. Dom pushed through the crowd; she followed. He stopped dead at the door. "Dom!" Kel cried. He was blocking her view.
Dom turned to face her slowly. He braced her shoulders. "Kel..." His voice broke and eyes glistened.
Kel frowned and pushed past-
Blood. Blood on the walls. Blood on the floor. Blood on the bed. A body on the bed. The smell...Kel stood, breathless, staring. Her eyes narrowed at the body with a nasty cut through its chest.
"No..." she said, shaking her head. She stumbled over. It was Seaver. Seaver: her fellow knight, her comrade, her friend. She brushed his cheek. It felt cold and stiff. "This is a bad dream," she whispered. "A bad, bad...dream."
Dom came and stood by her.
"How could this be?" she asked him. "I only talked to him last night. And now..." The words caught in her throat.
Dom had no comforting words to offer her, nothing. They stood there. Paralysed.
"What's going on?" It was Neal. In a few breaths he was beside Kel and Dom. He became as quiet and unmoving as them. At length he managed to say, "When?"
Kel looked at Neal helplessly. Her lips moved but no voice would come out. She tore away. It felt so unbelievable. Kel treaded over to the corner of the room. Tears blurred her eyes, she blinked and they escaped down her cheeks. Soon her jaw dripped like a tree after the rain. 'How did this happen?' the thought tormented her. Kel gathered the strength to study the room. It had been a messy death, but nothing had been knocked over, as far as she could tell. 'Had there even been a fight?' Her eyes roved inevitably back to the bed, where they fell upon something, on the floor, sticking out from behind the bedpost. With a shock she realised it must be the parchment Seaver had last night.
'It's just from a Lady I met. With instructions to read it in private, too.'
She strode over to it, and picked it up.
"What's that?" Neal croaked.
"A letter a lady had given Seaver last night. She had told him to read it in private." Kel unrolled the parchment, and was struck by the official way it had been written. She read:
The bearer of this document has commission to kill the following:
Sir Seaver, Knight of Tortall
Under the ruling of the Mother Reaper of the ancient society of Reapers.
The writing was followed by an elaborate, black stamp-
"Kel," Dom said. "I think there's something you'd better see..."
Kel stared in disbelief at the letter. It felt so surreal-
"Kel?"
Kel looked at Dom, and then in the direction his finger was pointing. Above the door, smeared in blood, were the words:
INVADERS OF SCANRA WILL DIE
"Looks like our murderer left a little message," Neal said.
The parchment crunched as Kel clenched her fist. "This was no petty murderer." She snarled. "It was an assassin."
Thank you, dear readers, for reading. Reviews, constructive criticism, and simple commands to keep writing (or to simply stop writing), are, as always, very welcome in my book.
Cheers
~Liaska.
Oh yes: this is meant to be a mystery. I hope I am being…mysterious.